Why do we ask for all those permissions?
An [INFOGRAPHIC] blogged by McAfee recently became an instant Internet meme with the headline, "It's 2AM. What are your apps doing?"
We are often asked why we need all those permissions, so we thought we'd take a few minutes to explain each permission, and why we ask you to agree when you use Catch.
Following are the permissions you agree to give Catch when you download the app to your Android phone or tablet, and the reason why we ask for that permission.
Allows the app to take pictures and videos with the camera. This allows the app at any time to collect images the camera is seeing.
Why? Catch allows users to make photo notes.
Allows the app to access the audio record path.
Why? Catch allows users to make voice notes.
Coarse (Network-based) Location
Access coarse location sources such as the cellular network database to determine an approximate tablet location, where available. Malicious apps may use this to determine approximately where you are.
Why? Catch allows users to tag their notes with location data (latitude and longitude). Coarse location lets Catch get a quick estimate of a note's location.
Access fine location sources such as the Global Positioning System on the tablet, where available. Malicious apps may use this to determine where you are, and may consume additional battery power.
Why? Catch allows users to tag their notes with location data (latitude and longitude). Fine location lets Catch get an accurate estimate of a note's location.
Allows the app to create network sockets.
Why? Catch offers syncing functionality that allows users to have their notes backed up to Catch.com for access on the web and all of their devices.
YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
Allows the app to read all of the contact (address) data stored on your tablet. Malicious apps may use this to send your data to other people.
Why? Catch allows users to collaborate easily with other users with shared spaces. Catch offers the option of adding contributors to your spaces by selecting them directly from your Contacts without having to type in email addresses. Catch never accesses the Contacts list without the user's specific direction.
Read Phone State and Identity
Allows the app to access the phone features of the device. An app with this permission can determine the phone number and serial number of this phone, whether a call is active, the number that call is connected to and the like.
Why? Catch lets users play back the audio of their voice notes. Permission to listen for changes to the phone state allows Catch to stop playback if a phone call is incoming. Catch never accesses phone identity information.
Modify/Delete USB Storage Contents; Modify/Delete SD Card Contents
Allows the app to write to the USB storage. Allows the app to write to the SD card.
Why? Catch, by default, stores some user content like photos and voice recordings on USB storage or the SD card, so as not to take up too much internal storage space. Users can change this in Catch's settings if they prefer not to use USB/SD storage for content. Catch also uses USB/SD storage for various temp/cache files.
Prevent Tablet from Sleeping; Prevent Phone from Sleeping
Allows the app to prevent the tablet from going to sleep.
Why? Catch uses this permission to keep the phone in a barely-awake state while a voice recording is ongoing.
Modify Global System Settings
Allows the app to modify the system's settings data. Malicious apps may corrupt your system's configuration.
Why? Catch only reads global system settings, never modifies them. Catch checks the device's "default notification sound" setting so that it can use that as the initial setting for its own reminder note notifications.
The following permissions are under the "Hide >>" control in Google Play, as Google considers these permissions to be minor and not of concern to most users.
Allows the app to get the list of accounts known by the tablet. Allows the app to get the list of accounts known by the phone.
Why? Catch uses this permission to pre-fill Catch account sign-in forms so the user does not have to type them in.
Allows the app to control the vibrator.
Why? Catch allows the user to optionally have the device vibrate when reminder notifications occur.
Allows the app to view the state of all networks.
Why? Catch uses this permission to tell whether or not the user's device has internet connectivity for syncing.
Receive Data from Internet
Allows apps to accept cloud to device messages sent by the app's service. Using this service will incur data usage. Malicious apps could cause excess data usage.
Why? Catch uses Google's cloud messaging service to receive hints that the user's notes on Catch.com have been updated (for example, from the web or another device). This allows Catch to sync and always have up-to-date note content.
Automatically Start at Boot
Allows the app to have itself started as soon as the system has finished booting. This can make it take longer to start the tablet and allow the app to slow down the overall tablet by always running. This can also make it take longer to start the phone and allow the app to slow down the overall phone by always running.
Why? Catch does not run its main application on boot. It only runs a lightweight, one-time service that ensures that if the user has any upcoming reminder notes set to go off, their alarm schedules are set in the device's memory. After this, it is done running.